The present invention relates to integrated circuit (IC) test equipment and, more particularly, to a manifold interface for IC test equipment.
A load board is often used when testing an electronic device (device under test or DUT) such as packaged semiconductor chip or integrated circuit. The load board is essentially an interface board, similar to a circuit board, which provides an interface between test equipment (automatic test equipment or ATE) and the device or DUT.
When testing certain devices, thermal testing must be performed to determine if the DUT meets specific requirements or standards. During thermal testing, the DUT is subjected to varying temperatures to determine whether it can operate in varied ambient conditions. When Device Under Test Thermal Management (DTM) testing is performed, the DUT is mounted to a load board that has a manifold. The manifold engages with a manifold of the ATE and to accurately direct temperature controlled air at the DUT. This controlled air is typically directed to leads of each DUT that is mounted on the load board and allows for testing of each DUT when heated to a temperature associated with its temperature rating. For instance, DTM testing is suitable for devices that are subject to temperature extremes such as devices used near an engine of an automobile and therefore the directed air is often at temperatures of over 100° C.
If the DUT in not subject to such temperature extremes then non-DTM testing may be performed. When performing non-DTM testing, the load board does not have a manifold since heated temperature controlled air does not need to be accurately directed at the DUT. Hence, because test equipment is often required to perform both DTM and Non-DTM testing, the interface between the load-board and test equipment must be replaced when changing between DTM and non-DTM testing. This interface replacement can be a time consuming and costly exercise, resulting in unwanted test equipment down-time. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to be have an ATE with a manifold that can be readily replaced, changed, or interfaced with other devices or equipment.